As householders began to count the cost of the storm, forecasters warned of rain and flooding on the way, further threatening homes damaged by the gales.

A wind speed of 102mph was recorded in Edinburgh and in Glasgow gusts hit 91mph, ripping off parts of houses and shops and scattering masonry and other debris. The Christmas tree in Glasgow’s George Square was blown down.

Four people were airlifted to hospital after caravans were carried into the air and dashed to the ground in Dunoon, Argyll. The injured were cut free after becoming trapped in one of the mobile homes.

The M74 northbound and the M9 southbound were blocked after gusts toppled trucks

A Coastguard helicopter flew nearly 300 miles from Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides to pick them up.

The nearest rescue helicopter, at HMS Gannet, Prestwick, was grounded by the power of the wind.

The caravanners were last night in the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. Their injures were said to not be life-threatening.

Two people were killed south of the Border as the storms swept across Britain. A seaman died in the Channel when his tanker was swamped by a massive wave, and a man in his 50s from Tonbridge, Kent, was killed instantly when an oak tree crushed his van.

A major cross-Border rail link was cut off, with no East Coast Main Line services running north of Newcastle. Scotland’s busiest railway stations, Glasgow Central, Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley, were all closed. Network Rail Scotland said 350 chainsaw gangs were out clearing fallen trees on the tracks.

A Met Office spokesman said Scotland experienced some “very stormy conditions” with strong winds in all areas. Central Scotland was the worst hit. He said: “We have a recorded gust of 102mph at Blackford Hill in Edinburgh, with gusts of 70-90mph widespread across Scotland.”

Several main roads and motorways were shut as overturned lorries added to the misery.

The Forth Road Bridge, the Erskine Bridge and the Tay Road Bridge in Dundee were closed by 10am by overturned lorries.

The Kingston Bridge in the heart of Glasgow was blocked after two lorries were blown over, closing the M8 for several hours.

The M74 northbound and the M9 southbound were blocked after gusts toppled trucks.

Over 70 flights in and out of Glasgow and Edinburgh airports were cancelled.

The power network took a hammering, particularly in Argyll and the Trossachs. ScottishPower and SSE said more than 1,000 engineers were trying to restore power to 66,000 households. At the peak of the storm around 85,000 homes were cut off.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency last night issued 10 flood warnings for Tayside and Moy Bridge in the Highlands. The Scottish Government said its Resilience Committee , chaired by First Minister Alex Salmond, met twice during the storm. The Met Office denied being too slow to upgrade their warning of severe weather to red. Until 8.15am yesterday, the amber “Be Prepared” warning was in place, advising of possible disruption. By then, the west had been battered for two hours 90mph winds.

Met Office forecaster Sarah Holland said: “The amber warning spoke of winds of between 70 and 80mph and locally 90mph. We could see things getting stronger, which is why we upgraded it to ‘red’.” The ‘red’ warning tells people to “take action” and avoid all unnecessary journeys.